Man, have my freezer meals come in handy lately! Jana made this one for the last swap I participated in, using a recipe she found on All Recipes as a guide. It was SOOO good! Even Mike, who was not excited when he saw we were having soup for dinner, gave it his stamp of approval :-).

Directions:1. In a large stock pot over medium heat, stir and cook onions in butter until soft. Add ground beef/Sausage and cook until browned. Add broth, mixed vegetables, kidney beans, tomatoes, spinach, and tomato paste; simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours.2. Using a slotted spoon, remove about half of the vegetables to a blender or food processor, reserving liquid in stock pot. Puree the vegetables until smooth and return them to stock pot. (Jana did not puree - she left the vegetables chunky and I agree - loved it with the chunky veggies)3. Stir in garlic powder, parsley, salt, pepper, basil, macaroni, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, garbanzo beans, and heavy cream; cook for 1/2 hour, stirring frequently. Pour into bowls and sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.

I think cream and cheese freeze well when mixed up in something like this...in this case they were fine. The first freezer meal I made for our swap was an enchilada recipe and I froze the sauce, which had sour cream and milk in it, separately and it didn't fare so well though.

This is unbelievably good! Such a great winter meal. I served it at an informal luncheon for my gal friends. I added garlic bread on the side, a small green salad, and a glass of red wine. (And for dessert: old fashioned homemade pineapple upside-down-cake I had baked in a cast iron skillet.) It was a cold, rainy day and they LOVED everything. Each friend asked for the soup recipe!! Thank you for this wonderful soup! One change: for veggies I added frozen mixed instead of canned. It freezes great.